Hero Of Sorts: Synthetic Sister
by Mad Cinder
Summary: One month after the tragic end of Jill Of All Trades, a strange new enemy begins their attack. Sally races to save Nicole, Mina struggles to stop Silver from destroying the timeline, Tails searches restlessly for Fiona, and Vector works to uncover the person pulling all the strings. What happens when the same person is behind every one of these problems?
1. The Hurt

Vector stood at the back of the procession, a long trench coat and an old fedora covering most of him. He was dressed this way mostly because it made him look more like a professional detective, but also because it was raining. His hands were in the deep pockets on the trench coat, hiding that he was fiddling with a short electrical cord in both hands.

The Crocodile's keen eyes watched the others around him, taking in their every action. He watched silently as Sally laid a white flower on the grave. There was no body buried here. There was no body to bury here. There was nothing left of Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius. Amy Rose followed Sally, placing a pink rose beside the white one.

Vector looked down at the rose in his own hands. He was here, same as everyone else, to pay respects to a lost friend. He looked over to two other graves beside Sonic's. Both of them were equally empty, but they were different to him. He knew Sonic was gone, but these other two seemed suspicious. They were marked with the names Miles Prower and Fiona Fox, and he didn't believe for a second that those two were actually dead.

Others had bought into it, as shown by the dozens of flowers covering Tails' grave and a few on Fiona's, but Vector was skeptical. He could say that it was natural for him to be skeptical, or that he liked being skeptical, but this time he just straight up didn't believe it. He hadn't added a flower to Tails' grave because of this, which had annoyed a few people and outright angered Amadeus Prower. Tails' father had calmed down to some degree when Vector explained why, but he could tell there was still resentment between them.

He would have even added a flower to Fiona's grave, but again, he didn't believe she was dead. Tails' parents had placed flowers on that grave as well, understanding the relationship between her and their son. Bunnie and Rouge had placed the other two, but hadn't explained why. Vector was fine with that. They didn't need to explain themselves. He wouldn't add another rose though, because he knew she was still alive. He was more sure of this then he was with Tails, because he had been told directly by Fiona's father.

Vector spotted the older Fox, Zak, standing off to the side. He was watching Vector, and when eye contact was made he briefly motioned away from the burial ceremony. He wanted to talk. Vector nodded subtly, then turned back to the funeral. Geoffrey and Hershey St. John placed their flowers and left, and Vector stepped up to the grave. He looked up at the monument that had been erected for the heroic Hedgehog, standing several meters over Vector's head. He took off his hat and bent over, placing the flower.

He stood back up and looked up at the Hedgehog again. "I'll hold it all together while you're gone. I won't let everything you fought for go to hell."

With that, he placed his hat back on and walked away. He followed a route he had memorized at Zak's request, leading him straight to the park. New Mobotropolis was huge, but it only had one park, although that park was considerably large itself. He spotted Zak seated on a bench along the path and sat down beside him.

Zak never looked at the Crocodile when he spoke. "I need information."

Vector nodded, looking around as if he hadn't heard Zak. "What you got to trade for it?"

"News on the whereabouts of the few enemies of the kingdom that remain at large."

This was their agreement. Zak would tell him valuable information about their enemies, what few of them were still around, and Vector would pass on information from Nicole's databanks. Naturally, Nicole was aware of these transactions, as was King Maximilian, but neither was aware of the identity of Vector's contact. As per Zak's conditions, Sally was kept out of the loop along with everyone else. This was acceptable to both Nicole and Maximilian, as the information they gave Zak was mostly files regarding Mobian history and geography. On occasion, he would ask for files on research into cybernetics. That was fine, as far as Vector was concerned, so long as Zak wasn't kidnapping people to experiment on them. Zak had stated often that it was for medical purposes only.

Vector shrugged. "What do you want in return?"

Zak stood up. "Everything you have on replacing an organic eye with a robotic eye."

"What have you been doing with all this stuff I've been giving you?"

Zak turned and waved to someone behind Vector, motioning for them to approach. He looked at Vector. "Take a look."

Vector stood and turned around to see someone who at first looked like a pretty young Vixen. She wore a simple white shirt and stiff black pants, with black boots that reached halfway to her knees. But then he began noticing things wrong with her. Her left hand and right eye were both missing, though the hand had been replaced cybernetically. She walked forward mechanically and stopped in front of him.

Zak stood behind Vector and explained. "This is Li Moon. She got beaten up pretty bad last month, so I've been helping her through her recovery."

Vector diverted his eyes, not sure what to think about this just yet. He turned back to Zak. "I'll... get your files. Be ready with your end of the deal."

* * *

The crowds had dispersed, but a few people remained. Sally stood in front of Sonic's grave, looking down at the plaque on the base of the monument. She sensed someone behind her and turned to see Ash standing uncomfortably close. She stepped away from the monument so that she could widen the distance without stepping on the grave.

Ash looked around as if he was looking for something. He shrugged when he couldn't find anything. "I don't see another grave, so I know Mina's still alive. So where is she?"

Sally sighed, putting her hand on her forehead. She had completely forgotten to tell him. "She, um... she left."

He stiffened. "What do you mean "left"?"

Sally backed up again. "She thought Tails was dead, so she... decided to continue what he had been doing."

He stepped toward her, causing her to take another step back. "Hunti- going after bad guys? What the hell is she thinking? You didn't stop her?" He stopped, thinking it through for a second longer. "Wait, what do you mean she "thought" he was dead?"

Sally froze. Had she said it that way? Tails had asked her not to tell anyone he was still alive, and she might as well have just done that. She covered her face with her hand. "Ah, fuck..."

Nicole appeared beside her. "Sally, how old are you?"

She looked up at the holographic Lynx. "Twenty-one, why?"

Nicole grimaced. "Oh... never mind." She turned to leave, but Sally called her back.

"Nicole, I could use your backup here."

The Lynx turned around and gave her a confused glare. "Why would you need my help? I'm only fourteen."

This response stunned Sally. "Wh... what? What do you... where did this come from?" She cringed, suddenly realizing what this was about. "Oh, right... really, Nicole? This is not the time..."

Ash interrupted. "Nicole, is Tails still alive?"

Nicole glanced at him briefly before looking back to Sally. "...I wouldn't be surprised..."

Sally held up her hands in defeat. "Alright, fine. Have it your way. Tails is alive. He's out and about, following Mina around to make sure she doesn't get herself killed like Fiona and Li Moon did. You happy?"

There was silence as Ash tried to process this information. The silence was shattered as Nicole started clapping, although the look on her face was one of sour sarcasm. Ash shook his head and walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Sally simply stood and watched Nicole, growing less and less pleased with her friend's behavior. She waited until Nicole stopped clapping before speaking. "What's wrong with you right now? I mean, what's really wrong? Is Sonic being gone getting to you, or is it really this crap about you being fourteen?"

Nicole held up one finger, pasting an enlightened expression on her face. "Wait, I got one! Maybe, just maybe, it's not something to do with you or Sonic at all. Maybe it's got something to do with my own life." Her image flickered and sputtered for a second, then she continued with a sudden burst of outright anger. "Maybe my best friend has been ignoring me for a month! Ever think of that?"

Sally was shocked at this outburst, but was thankful she could at least try to remedy the situation. "Alright... I haven't been paying any attention to you for a month. I'm here now. What do you want to talk about?"

Nicole let her hands rest at her side and sighed. "I..." Her expression changed again, this time more worried. Confusion and panic quickly joined as she raised her voice. "Sally! Someone's hacking into my system!"

"What? Who? Where? Can you block them out?"

"No, no, no, no! You don't understand! They're already in! I... I don't recognize the access location! I can't find them! I can't tell who it is! They're going for incry-" Nicole flicked out of sight right in front of Sally.


	2. Intruders

Mina Mongoose ran amongst the trees, zigzagging in and out at her super speed. She already knew what she was looking for and where it was. Now, she just needed to get there. The smell of burning fuel told her that she was getting close, and a few seconds later she found herself on the edge of a cliff.

In the canyon below her was a massive factory of some sort, with billows of smoke rising into the sky. Large machines drilled into the sides of the canyon, loosening up large chunks of rock that other machines would scoop into heavy containers. These containers would then be lifted and moved by a central crane that towered high above the canyon walls. Mina thought it odd that the Freedom Fighters had yet to notice this place. It was clearly a remnant of Eggman's empire.

She pulled some binoculars out of her bag and peered through them at the workers below. At first, she had been expecting Egg Pawns or Combots, or even Badniks, but what she saw was truly a surprise. It seemed actual Mobians were working at this mining site, all wearing orange uniforms. She sat back to consider how this changed her plans.

An anonymous tip had told her of this place, so she had to check it out. She had thought it odd that anyone had even found her, but the help was appreciated. She was sure the tip had come from someone trustworthy, so the idea of it being a trap seemed out of the question.

It was then that a voice interrupted her pondering from behind her. "So what do you think? Worth a shot?"

Mina turned around to see a young Echidna girl with short pink hair. She glanced back at the mining facility. "Taking this out? Shouldn't be too hard."

The Echidna girl stepped up beside her. She wore a grey jacket over a black shirt and had small glasses perched on her nose. She looked down at the noisy operation, noting the Mobian workers. "You not worried about casualties?"

Mina shook her head. "Nah... they made they're choice. You the one that gave me the tip?"

"Tip? No... but I can help you out with this if you want."

Mina nodded, satisfied. "I want. You got a name?"

The Echidna put her hands on her hips. "Yeah... but how about you just call me..." She looked up as some of her hair fell in front of her eyes. "...Pink. Call me Pink."

Mina shrugged. "Alright then, Pink. Call me Purple."

"Got it. So, Purple, what's the plan?"

Mina, or Purple, scratched the back of her head. Now she had to come up with a plan on the spot. "I say we go down there all stealth-like, take out a couple workers covert-like and steal their clothes, then try and find something that'll explode."

Pink leaned over the edge, scanning the canyon below. "Something... like a reactor core? Fuel storage? Munitions dump if they have one?"

Mina/Purple nodded triumphantly. "Exactly! You ready to go?"

She shrugged. "I guess so."

The purple-haired Mongoose jumped over the edge, sliding down the canyon walls until she reached the bottom. The pink-haired Echidna landed beside her a few seconds later. She grabbed Mina and pulled her behind some large mining equipment.

"What are you, insane? I thought we were being covert about this!"

Mina shoved her off. "Well, not with your shouting. Nobody noticed anyway, so let's keep moving."

She got back up and moved around to the side of the equipment, it looked like a drill, and waited for one of the workers to walk by. When one did walk past, Mina quickly checked to make sure no one else was watching, then grabbed the worker and pulled him behind the drill. She made sure to cover his mouth with her hand and quickly delivered a kick to his head once she was hidden again.

The Echidna, Pink, ran over and looked down at the semi-conscious Mobian. "He looks like a bird..."

Mina nodded. "Yeah, a Duck..." She stopped, taking a closer look at his face. "He... he looks familiar. I think I've seen him before."

A large shadow fell over them. "Hey! What are you two doing?"

They looked up to see a large grey bird. Mina began talking back quickly. "He, uh, he hit his head on a rock, like, a rock fell on him and hit his head. You should probably get some help. We'll make sure he's okay until you get back."

The big bird shook his head. "Sure..." He reached down and pulled the Duck to his feet. "Get off your lazy butt and back to work." The Duck scampered away, then the grey bird turned back to them. "And you two, what are you doing wearing those ridiculous outfits. Go get into your uniforms and get back to work."

They didn't argue. They got up and walked in the direction he indicated. Along the way, Mina got a better look around the canyon. There were Mobians everywhere, of all different shapes and sizes, but something was starting to bother her. The Duck from before had looked familiar, but she couldn't tell why. The more she looked around, the more she was sure she had seen some of these people before. A Porcupine here and a Chameleon there, it was starting to put her on edge.

They got to the building they had been directed towards and went inside, coming face to face with the biggest shock of all. Before them stood a vixen, beyond familiar. She was dressed in the same orange full-body uniform as everyone else, with her red hair tucked under the collar.

She looked at them and snorted. "Mina, what are you wearing? Get back into uniform. We've got a lot of work to do here..." She looked at the Echidna girl awkwardly. "Who are you?"

"Pink" scratched her head, pretending to be nervous. "Oh, gee, um, yeah... I'm new. Uh..."

Mina interrupted, speaking to the vixen. "Fiona, is this where you've been?"

Fiona, for that's who she was, seemed taken aback. "Have I been missing?"

Before anyone could respond, a silver-furred Hedgehog pushed past Mina into the room. He turned to look at the Mongoose and the Echidna. They were about to simply ignore them when he spoke to Fiona.

"Those two don't work here. They're Mobians."

Fiona's eyes flickered when she looked back to the two intruders. "...Flesh and blood? Well, there's only one way to find out for sure." Her claws extended into long metallic blades.

They bolted out of the building and ran, still not sure what was happening, with Fiona hot on their tails. They heard the silver Hedgehog's voice echoing around the canyon as they ran.

"Attention all units! Unit 017 is in pursuit of dangerous intruders! All units assist in their capture unless you cannot leave your current assignment! Capture the intruders, but do not kill them!"

Mina heard "Pink" yell over to her. "They're machines! They must all be robotic duplicates! Probably made by Robotnik!"

She would have said more, but was cut off by a streak of blue that knocked her to the ground. She looked up to see Sonic the Hedgehog standing over her. Mina skidded to a stop and ran to help, but someone grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground. She opened her eyes to see the grinning face of Scourge the Hedgehog.

Fiona ran up to the pair of Hedgehogs. "You didn't kill them, did you?"

Scourge shook his head. "Silver said not to. I would have liked to, but I didn't."

She slapped him across the face, causing Sonic to laugh. "You better keep yourself in check. If you run off on your own again, we're not rebuilding you. I'm just gonna toss you in a melting pot. You're lucky the real Sonic left enough of you intact for repairs."

The silver Hedgehog, apparently named Silver, walked over. He looked down at Mina. "Hmm, I don't think it would be a good idea to kill you. Most futures have you play a significant role." He turned to the Echidna. "...Lara-su... what are you even doing here? I mean, in this time."

The Echidna girl cringed when he said her name, and again when the subject of time came up. She sighed heavily. "Fine... I'm... here to... mess up whatever it is you're doing."

Silver grimaced. "Well, that's... not good. I must warn you, there's only so much of the future left to save. The real Sonic is dead. The future was supposed to result from a number of actions he never got to do."

Lara-su fixed her eyes on the ground. "So, what are you doing?"

Silver laughed. "I'm doing what I can to stabilize the timeline. Robotic doubles like these ones are hunting down Tails right now. Once they find him, they'll bring him here. With his help I can fix the timeline. No one will have died, Tails would still be part of the Freedom Fighters, and Sonic and Sally would be getting married in only a few months."

Lara-su stopped him there. "That's not the future I come from."

"Why, which future is that?"

Lara-su cleared her throat before explaining. "The future I come from is pretty much a mess. Just about everyone is dead and Mobius is completely wasted. The Black Arms attacked and Tails destroyed the chaos emeralds. When I left, the planet was tearing itself apart. If you're from farther in the future than me, then that never happened in your timeline."

Silver shook his head. "No, that never happened. But that's why I need to fix the timeline. If I don't, things will just get worse."

"What if your plan is what causes the future I'm from?"

He seemed to be prepared for this question. "I'll need you to fill me in on all the details about your future. That way, I can make sure it never happens."

Lara-su nodded, reaching out her hand. "Agreed."


	3. Web Of Shadows

Tails ran through the trees at near his top speed. He was on a path, a trail he had learned to follow well. He was going to meet someone he had met many times over the past month. Together, they had been working to find what happened to Fiona. Tails had been sure she was dead, but this contact gave him new hope. Neither of them knew if she really was still alive, but it seemed more hopeful now.

He skidded to a stop at the end of the trail, looking over the clearing to make sure nothing had changed since last time, then moving towards the small house in the center. The house was an old design, but it looked recently built and well kept. Tails ignored the wooden porch and the front door, instead going around the side and opening a wooden hatch that led to a cellar. Despite the darkness that greeted him, he jumped in without a second thought and began speaking to the shadows.

"We have a problem."

A row of lights above him buzzed to life, illuminating the room and revealing a Mobian Fox standing beside another door. He nodded knowingly and moved to a computer station on the wall, starting up the machinery.

Briefly, Tails thought he heard footsteps in the house above them. He stepped over to the computers and stood behind the other Mobian. "Do you have visitors, Zak?"

Zak shrugged. "The Chaotix are interested in your disappearance. They were just leaving, so you're safe. They also brought news of another problem for us to deal with, but I have a feeling it's related to whatever you found."

Tails sighed, brushing his long bangs back with his hand only for them to bounce right back into place. He didn't like hiding from his friends, but he didn't want to risk losing anyone else. "What's this problem they've got then?"

Zak pulled up some files on the computer, scrolling through pages of information that would have been gibberish if Tails were not so familiar with them. Zak answered carefully, but didn't hide anything. "Nicole has been shut down. Her system was hacked from an unknown source. The Chaotix and I were supposed to trade information, but they were unable to obtain the files I required due to this hacker. Fortunately, I think I can guess who's behind it."

This surprised Tails at first, but then he realized that it shouldn't have. He knew about Zak's extensive connections. "Alright, so who is it?"

Zak grinned in triumph. "A machine. More specifically, a robotic Mobian."

"A Robian? Those don't exist anymore."

"No, a duplicate. A machine disguised as a Mobian, designed to look like one Mobian in particular. Unfortunately, that means we have to deal with someone more dangerous. And, perhaps, that brings us to your problem." He looked at Tails questioningly.

Tails was always annoyed by how easily Zak figured out the layout of the situation, and he let it show on his face, but he answered regardless. "Silver the Hedgehog. For some reason, he's got what looks like a mining operation going in a canyon about a hundred miles south of here. I can't pretend to know what he's up to, but Mina jumped right into it and got captured. I don't think he'll hurt her, but I don't want to take any chances."

Zak nodded. "And the people he's got working for him?"

Tails grunted, acknowledging how far ahead Zak was. "They look like robotic duplicates. I couldn't particularly tell that they were robotic, but it's a bit telling that half of the ones I saw were duplicates of dead people."

"And what do you think about the Echidna girl?"

This surprised Tails, and this time he was sure it should have. "How did you know about her?"

Zak shrugged again. "I have connections. Anyway, I'm sure she's not that important. What is important is Silver. One of the robotics he's got working for him is likely the hacker who shut down Nicole. That's problem enough, but shutting Nicole down is an effective first strike and could easily indicate an attack in the future. If their intentions are hostile, your friends could all be at risk."

Tails caught on. "So I need to get to Silver and beat the crap out of him in order to find out what he's planning on doing."

Zak gave Tails a thumbs up. "But make sure to allow for the possibility that the robotic is acting against Silver. He may not be aware of it's actions, and in that case he might be able to help you stop it. If he is aware, and it's acting under his orders, then Mina could very well be in serious danger."

Tails walked back to the hatch. "Alright, I'll get it done. Any new leads on Fiona?"

Zak stood up and headed to the door. "I was hoping for some from the Chaotix, but... you know how that went."

Tails understood. The information was coming from Nicole. This gave him even more reason to get her back. He jumped up through the hatch and sped off towards the canyon, his mind racing to come up with a battle plan.

Zak turned and opened the door, coming face to face with a Vixen. She gave him a quizzical look. He smiled cheerfully at her. "I need to let Silver know Tails is on his way. He needs to have Fiona's location so he can give it to Tails. This needs to go off without a hitch, or Tails might wreck the excavation project."

She stepped out of the way and followed Zak up the stairs. "How long does Silver need to stay involved? He brought Lara-su into the picture too. That'll be another obstacle we have to deal with."

Zak opened another door and let her enter first. She sat in the corner while he seated himself at a desk, facing a computer screen. He looked to her, nodding thoughtfully. "She shouldn't be here, but that isn't a problem. I have little concern when it comes to the time travelers. They're lives hold little consequence when they come to the past, so we should be able to get rid of both of them in short order. We need Silver for now, so we're going to wait, but I can trust you to take care of business when the time comes."

She smiled. "Yes, you can."

"I figured as much. Are you sure Nicole won't come back online until we're done?"

"Absolutely."


	4. The Gauntlet

Mina woke up in a small room with steel walls and no windows. She had been laid out on a small cushioned seat, the only thing in the room, and couldn't remember how she had become unconscious in the first place. She looked around again, finally spotting what looked like a door in the wall opposite her seat.

A few minutes passed with nothing for her to do but sit and wait, but she eventually heard the sound of voices coming from the other side of the door. She stood as it opened slowly, revealing the silver Hedgehog she had seen before. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, turning to her and crossing his arms unhappily.

He waited a moment, working out what to say before speaking. "I'm not the bad guy here."

She interrupted him almost immediately. "Really? So what's with the crazy evil organization you've got going?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Everyone else here is a robotic duplicate of a real person. They were created by Robotnik years ago and have been manufacturing more of themselves ever since. They've determined something of great importance is buried under this canyon and they want to unearth it."

None of this helped to reassure Mina. "So what are you digging for?"

Silver raised a finger to correct her. "I'm not digging. They're the ones doing the digging. My interests are separate. They believe that there are burried ruins beneath us. Ancient ruins containing a portal to an alternate dimension. They want to find it so that they can leave Mobius and find a place for themselves."

"So, you're saying they want to leave us Mobians alone?"

He nodded. "And that they want to be left alone by the Mobians. That's why they remained underground for so long. They just want to live in peace." He shook his head and ran his fingers over his short spiked hair. "However, they also believe they need a chaos adept in order to open the portal. Now, I've been working with them to find Tails, because they think he'd be the easiest to convince to help them. Knuckles and Shadow are too stubborn and Sonic is... well, he's dead."

She shook her head. "Tails is dead too."

Silver chuckled. "No, he's completely alive. The robotics have been searching for him all over. It's a good thing they found the ruins though, because they were planning on taking Mobius... although it doesn't really matter either way."

"What do you mean?" It was getting hard for her to digest all this information at once, but she at least wanted it to be clear.

Silver closed his eyes, preparing to tell her something he had been avoiding saying. "Okay... first of all, so far as I know, this portal isn't exactly the best thing to open. I'm pretty sure it's actually more along the lines of a gate in appearance, but other than that it leads to a realm of chaos. The robotics don't realize it, but this portal is actually far too dangerous to open."

Mina held up her hands. "Wait. Then why are you helping them?"

Silver nodded. "I was getting to that. Fact is, I'm not. They think I am, but I'm not. They're working towards bringing Tails here, but I get him first. I need Tails for a completely different reason... I, uh... I'm from the future. And I need Tails' help to make sure the future stays somewhat the same. Right now, that requires me to go back in time and prevent Sonic the Hedgehog from dying."

She eyed him sceptically. "So..."

He rolled his eyes, slowly coming to realize Mina might have been a little dense. "So... if me and Tails go back in time and save Sonic, preferably by preventing Tails' departure from the Freedom Fighters, then the robotics will never come out from hiding and the portal will not be a threat."

There was a moment of silence as Mina worked through the plan in her mind. When she spoke again, her message was not what Silver wanted to hear. "I want Sonic back just as much as anyone, but I can't help you. Changing the past to suit whatever future you want defeats the purpose behind the whole thing. You might as well eliminate free will. I won't help you. Tails won't help you. And you'd be wise not to let any of those robots near me, cause I will tell them."

He crossed his arms again, returning to his previous unhappy state. "It doesn't matter. Tails will help me whether he likes it or not, and I don't need your help. I guess... then it doesn't matter if you live or die."

Before Mina could respond, the door began to glow eerily. It slowly opened so that Silver could step back outside, then it shut with a solid thud. The glow disappeared and Silver looked down at the palm of his hand. He shrugged. No, it didn't matter if she lived or died, but that didn't mean he didn't care. He wouldn't kill her, nor would he let the robotics do it. It would just be wasted time if they did, seeing as they wouldn't be there anymore once he was done.

He turned and walked away from the holding cell at a quick pace, and a few doors and halls later, arrived in a sort of control room. About half a dozen of the robotics were present, but he sent them out. The moment the door closed behind them, a large screen in the center of the room flicked on.

"_Am I too early or too late?_"

Silver shook his head, somewhat dismayed at how perfect the timing was every time. "Do I even need to answer that? You got it right on time, Zak. How you do it is still a mystery to me, but you do it without fail."

Zak grinned like he had just received a compliment. "_Alright then. Tails is on his way. He's going to want to free Mina, and you can let him, but then he'll be after you._"

Silver cupped his chin in his hand. "So I take it I shouldn't be worried about damage to the mining operation or the robotics?"

"_The robotics, no, but that machinery is still useful._"

Something didn't add up, and Silver didn't like it when things didn't add up. "I don't see how. When I reset the timeline, they won't have been built yet. The robotics will stay underground, so the machinery won't get built in the first place."

Zak nodded, causing Silver to realize that, again, he was one step ahead of the time traveler. "_The portal in the ruins requires a power supply. If you can get that, you can take it with you and Tails, into the past, and use it's power to destroy Eggman. Otherwise, Sonic will inevitably end up sacrificing himself one way or another in order to defeat Eggman._"

That was a reason Silver understood. "Okay, but how do I deal with Tails when he gets here?"

Zak's face was suddenly dead serious. "_Tell him absolutely nothing until you have the power source. I trust you can hold out that long._"

"I can, but-" The screen flicked off, and the door opened behind him. He shook his head again, not liking anything of the situation. He saw that the robotic duplicate of Fiona Fox had entered, though she was alone. He waved her over. "Here to report on our progress?"

She marched over quickly, halting in front of him and nodding almost militarily. "Our scans estimate we'll breach a large chamber within a few minutes. We believe the portal to be somewhere within the chamber."

Silver nodded thoughtfully, walking from the room. She walked with him and they soon exited the building. Silver began quietly explaining the plan to her. "Tails is going to be here soon. I'm going to let him know where Mina is so he'll rescue her. He'll almost definitely send her away, so we won't have to worry about her anymore. If you haven't breached the chamber yet by that point, then I'll hold him off until you do. I need the power source from the portal to finish my mission. We'll bring it back when we're done, and I'll make sure Tails comes back too, so you can open the portal."

The Fiona duplicate nodded and scampered away, disappearing into a small cavern along the side of the canyon. Silver thought it a bit odd how quickly and abruptly she had left, but he pushed the thought aside. Before he could refocus on anything else, something landed in front of him.

Less than three meters away from him stood the orange Kitsune, his twin tails thrashing around violently. Silver glanced around for Lara-su, but could find no trace of his supposed ally. He was sure she'd show up at the opportune moment, but until then...

He smiled disarmingly at Tails. "You're here a bit earlier than I expected, but that's no trouble."

The Kitsune grinned as well, baring his fangs at the silver Hedgehog. "I was hoping you'd like the surprise. Where's Mina?"

Silver shrugged and pointed to the building behind him. "In one of the cells in there. She's fine, and I'd prefer that you send her away as soon as possible. Then we can... "discuss" what's going to happen here." Silver was beginning to think he wouldn't have to fight Tails at all, which would be good if they were going to work together to fix the timeline.

After a few moments of contemplation, Tails slowly walked to the building Silver had indicated. He stopped at the door and glanced back to Silver. "I won't be long."

Silver clasped his hands behind his back innocently. "I'll be waiting."

When Tails disappeared inside, Scourge's robotic duplicate walked up beside Silver. "What are you doing now?"

Silver smiled. "Waiting."


	5. Betrayel

The building wasn't very big, so it took Tails only a minute to find the room he was looking for. He knocked on a few doors down the hallway, waiting for a response. When he got to one where someone knocked back, he put his ear to the door and called out.

"Mina, you in there?"

The reply came back after a second or two. "Tails? What are you doing here?"

He laughed to himself. "I'm here to get you out of here, and then I'm gonna tear this place down." He eyed the control panel beside the door, figuring it would be easier just to hack in. "Give me a moment. I'll get the door open."

On the other side, Mina pressed her face to the door. "Tails, Silver wants you to help him change the timeline."

Tails' voice came back strained, as if he were busy wrenching the control panel's casing off. "That figures."

She continued. "He wants to keep you from leaving the Freedom Fighters so Sonic won't die. Would that even work?"

"Sonic may have died, but so did Scourge... and the Babylon Rogues... and Eggman... and Fang... and a lot of other bad guys."

Mina sighed. "Yeah, but so did Fiona, right? And Li Moon?"

"For that kind of victory, it may be worth it... besides, I think Fiona is still alive." The door opened, and Mina saw the twin-tailed kitsune standing before her. He dropped the panel casing and shrugged. "I was contacted by Fiona's father. He believes she's alive too. We've been working together to find her, but this operation is getting in the way. I've gotta take Silver down."

She smiled. "So you're not planning to help him."

He started walking towards the building's front exit. "No, I'm not. Go out the back door and get out of the canyon. It could get dangerous in here."

Mina didn't want to run, but she knew better than to argue with Tails. She quickly found the back door and bolted away. Tails took a second to go over his plan in his head, then he stepped out to face Silver and an army of robotic Mobians.

What he saw, instead of an army, was Silver. The Hedgehog was standing alone, his arms folded across his chest. The sounds of machines working had stopped all around them, and not a robotic was in sight. The only sound Tails could hear was a single drilling machine working deep in one of the tunnels.

Tails bared his fangs. "What's down there, Silver?"

"Come with me and I'll show you."

"I'm not working with you, Silver. I'm here to stop you."

"That's too bad..."

Tails' ear twitched at a crackling sound from behind him. He leaped forward just as a green blast of energy scorched the ground where he had been standing. He shot a glance behind him, seeing a young Echidna with a green flame wreathing her hand. She flung the flame toward him, aiming straight for his head. This time Tails was ready and he formed a small shield of chaos energy around his hand. He batted the fireball away, deflecting it into a piece of machinery that erupted into flames upon contact.

Tails shielded himself with his namesakes while the others did so with their powers. Using the distraction, Tails turned and ran toward Silver. The Hedgehog had no time to react, and Tails closed the distance between them almost instantly, ramming him and dragging him into the nearest tunnel.

The tunnel was dark, giving Tails a bit of difficulty seeing where he was going, but he managed by keeping Silver in front of him. Every time he hit a wall, the Hedgehog absorbed the blow instead. Silver sounded like he was trying to say something, but the impacts kept interrupting.

Just when Tails thought Silver might lose consciousness, he spotted an end to the tunnel. He skidded to a halt and dropped Silver, then walked to the tunnel's end. It opened up to a large cavern, somewhere far above the bottom. Metal walkways and stairs led down the side of the cavern to where the drill machine lay wrecked. It appeared as if they had drilled through the cavern wall and just let the drill fall. They had to have put the scaffolding up in less than a minute, but they were machines themselves so it didn't surprise him.

He heard Silver getting up behind him, so he turned to the Hedgehog. "What is this place?"

Silver looked up, taking a moment to realize where they were. He groaned and shook his head. "Down below us is a portal. The robotics are going to use it to escape Mobius. We can stop all this if you agree to help me."

Tails looked down at the cavern floor. There was no sign of the robotics, but there was a large circular platform in the center of the chamber. He shrugged. "If they want to leave Mobius, I'm not going to stop them."

Silver stood and walked up behind Tails. "What you don't realize, and the robotics don't either, is that opening the portal won't let them escape. It will let something else come to Mobius."

Tails ears perked at this. "Something else? What?"

"I don't know. But I do know it's not good."

Tails heard footsteps to his left. Turning to meet whoever was approaching, he saw a number of what he guessed were the robotics. The duplicates of both Sonic and Scourge were present, as well as Fiona's double. She stepped forward, beckoning Tails to follow her. Cautiously, he obliged and followed her down the scaffolding. When they reached the bottom, she lead him to the center of the circular platform.

She spread her arms out and turned to face him. "This is the cover stone for the portal. Once we remove it, you are going to activate the portal so that we can leave this world."

Tails looked behind him, seeing Silver standing just off to the side of the cover stone. He turned back to the Fiona duplicate. "What about Silver's plan?"

She shrugged, laughing. "What about it? You can do that after we've left. That way, when you take the power source and the portal deactivates you don't have to worry about us ever coming back."

Tails glanced at Silver again, seeing him shaking his head. Tails nodded and turned back to the duplicate again. "Alright then. I'll see what I can do."

She smiled, almost looking genuinely pleased, and turned towards the cover stone's center. There was an indentation right in the center. She traced around the indentation with her claw, scanning the stone with her sensors. Then she stopped.

She glanced around the chamber, scanning everything she could in her search for the missing component. Something was wrong. Something was missing. On a hunch, or as much of one as a machine can have, she tried to scan whatever was on the other side of the cover stone. What she found made her very unhappy.

She hissed, a sound similar to steam escaping a high-pressure pipe. "We have been lied to..."

The Scourge duplicate blinked in surprise as all the other robotics standing nearby showed similar reactions. It was the fake green Hedgehog who voiced their thoughts. "Lied to? By who?"

She raked her claws across the stone surface, gouging deep lines in it. She snapped at Silver. "Explain this! Now!"

He started stammering. "W-what? E-e-explain what? What's wrong?"

She turned on him, almost screeching. "There is no power source! The portal is already open right beneath our feet! We don't need Tails and we don't need you! All we need is whatever fits into that spot!" She pointed to the indentation behind her. "Judging by the looks of it, it's a chaos emerald."

Tails peered closer. The robotics barely even noticed him now, so he took the chance to inspect the indentation. He agreed that an emerald was the right shape, but a chaos emerald would be too small. He shook his head. "You're wrong. It looks like a super emerald."

Silver backed up nervously, aware of the bad situation he was in. "Well, okay, but a super emerald is still a power source, right? Listen, I didn't lie to you. I was given misinformation, but now that we know what we really need we can go get it."

The Scourge duplicate brightened up. "Eggman had a super emerald on his fleet. There's no way it was destroyed, so the Freedom Fighters probably have it."

The robotic vixen shoved past him. "Then let's go get it." She leaped up towards the cavern exit, covering the distance in a single bound. The other robotics followed, some climbing up and others simply jumping. Within seconds the chamber was empty except for Tails and Silver.

The Fox turned to the Hedgehog. "We have to stop them and you know it."

Silver nodded. "Yes... but how? There's a lot more than we just saw. If they march on Knothole, no one can stop them."

A sound from above caught their attention, and they saw the Echidna scrambling down the scaffolding. "They're moving with a purpose! What's going on?"

Tails looked to Silver, indicating that it was his job to explain. Silver sighed, not liking that he had to say it. "Lara-su, look. The portal is already open, it's just got this cover stone on top of it. They don't need Tails to open it, they need a super emerald."

She stopped right in front of them. "A super emerald? Where are they gonna find one of those?"

Tails started moving toward the stairs. "Knothole. We have to hurry."

Before he reached the stairs, the whole chamber began to shake. Dust and stone rained down on them from above, causing them to take shelter under the scaffolding. After a few seconds, when the shaking stopped, they paused to look at each other.

Tails spoke, his voice just above a whisper. "What in the hell was that?"

* * *

The mechanical remains of the robotics nearly covered the canyon floor. All the fake fur and skin had been scorched off, and the electronics were smoking and popping. The lone figure standing in the center of it all raised a radio to his mouth.

"Turn her back on now."

* * *

"Understood."

The vixen keyed in the few commands required, and the screen in front of her showed a progress bar. A few seconds later, it finished. She smiled, knowing what was about to happen. The hologram had been given three vital pieces of information, and they were things she just couldn't keep from her friends.

* * *

Back in Knothole, Sally sat at her desk in Freedom HQ. The renovations were almost complete, so she had declared it fit for use. She had her eyes glued to the computer screen, and her fingers tapping away at the keyboard. She had been working around the clock trying to get Nicole back, but her friend's program had simply vanished from the system.

Suddenly, the screen changed to an image of Nicole's face. "Sally!"

Sally jumped back in surprise, but quickly smiled. "You're back!"

Nicole's image nodded. "Yes, but I've got something you need to know."

"What?" Sally couldn't help but keep smiling. Her friend had just come back after what seemed a hopeless situation.

Nicole's expression on the other hand, was dark. "The super emerald survived the explosion of the Death Egg."

Sally nodded, her face becoming more serious. "Yes, we figured it might have. Where is it?"

Nicole looked somewhat scared, but also a good deal angry. "Zak has it."


	6. Super Emerald

Lara-su picked up the head of one of the robotic duplicates. It was scorched black and partially melted. She looked into the dark eyes, then shook her head and tossed it away. The whole canyon floor was covered in the trashed machines, including pieces of the mining equipment.

She looked back at Tails and Silver. "It looks like someone was waiting for them to come back up. Someone knew they'd be coming up in such a hurry that they wouldn't pay attention to uninvited guests until it was too late."

Tails nodded. "In other words, they were set up."

Silver ran his hand over his quills, shaking his head. "I was told the portal would open to a chaos adept, but... why would he lie to me? I can't believe he was wrong, especially so sure of himself."

Tails glanced over at him. "Who gave you that information?"

Silver shrugged. "Uh... his name was, uh... Zak?"

Tails froze. Puzzle pieces were falling into place in his mind. He shook it off and grimaced. "You two stay here. I need to go see someone."

They looked at him, confused. Lara-su placed her hands on her hips. "Who are you going to see?"

Tails glanced back at her briefly. "The bastard that's been lying to me since I met him." Before either of them could say anything more, he jumped into the air and flew off.

* * *

Sally checked her belt, making sure Nicole's handheld form was attached properly. She looked up to see the rest of the Freedom Fighters. Rotor wouldn't be able to keep up the same as everyone else, and they would need someone at home base, so he was staying. This left Sally with Antoine, Bunnie, and Amy.

She addressed the assembled Freedom Fighters. "We all know that Eggman had a Super Emerald in his possession. He was using it to power the Death Egg." They all nodded. As she had said, they all knew. "Well, what we didn't know is what happened to that Super Emerald. Now we know. His name is Zak. His base of operations could be guarded, possibly by robots similar to Eggman's, so we'll have to be careful when we go in. Doubly so, as we're not sure what he's trying to do with the Super Emerald."

When Sally paused, Amy jumped in. "Where did this guy even come from?"

Sally shrugged. "Uh... he was impersonating a soldier on our flagship. Whether or not that position was earned, I'm not sure. He's also... He's also Fiona's father."

The last bit of information caused an uncomfortable silence among the Freedom Fighters, which was eventually broken by Rotor. "Do we know where he is?"

Before Sally could answer, the door burst open and Vector strode in. "Yes, we do!" He stopped and pointed his finger straight at Sally. "And if you think you're going after him without the Chaotix, then you've lost your marbles."

Sally watched as the rest of the Chaotix filed in behind Vector. She smirked and nodded to him. "Well, then let's go. You lead the way."

* * *

"_You've got a lot of angry people headed your way. Are you ready for this?_"

The vixen smiled up at the screen. "Yeah, sure I am."

"_What exactly do you plan on doing to them?_"

She just shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I'll probably just kill most of them. I do want to talk to Tails a bit, though. I would rather that I get some time alone with him first."

"_Well, he'll get there first, so you'll have your chance. How's your sister?_"

"Still asleep."

"_Good. Get Li Moon out of the house. I don't want her getting involved in all this just yet._"

The screen switched off before she could even respond, but she didn't mind. She turned around to see Li Moon, complete with her cybernetic repairs, just standing in the corner of the room. She smiled at her. "Zak says you should go somewhere else for now. Come back in a couple months or something."

Without a word, Li Moon turned and stepped out the door. The vixen watched her go, then walked over to a different door. She stepped through into room with a small bed at the back. Lying on the bed was another vixen. She knelt down beside the bed and ran her fingers through the girl's hair.

"Tails is coming for us, sister. He hopes he'll find you, but he doesn't know that I'm here. None of them know that I'm here. What a surprise that'll be..." She stood up and went back to the door, then looked back to the bed. "Sweet dreams, Fiona. I likely won't be around anymore when you wake up."

With that, she closed the door behind her and walked to another room. She raked her claws along the ground until they caught on a handle, which she then grabbed onto. She pulled the door up and jumped down into the hidden room, completely ignoring the ladder. In the center of the room was a pedestal, and mounted on the pedestal was a large red jewel.

She tapped the surface of the jewel with her claw, her eyes going wide and filling with the light emitted from it. "As for you..." She shivered. "You're going to serve the greatest purpose of all. ...to save Mobius... by wiping the slate clean. No one will find you. You will be safe here..."

Her sensitive ears picked up a sound from outside the house. She twitched backwards, away from the glowing Super Emerald. She climbed up the ladder into the room above, never taking her eyes off the red glow. Only when she closed the door did her eyes leave the gem.

She walked out of the upper room and closed the door behind her, then walked into the house's main room. She looked out the front window to see Tails landing just outside. She grinned and moved to the stairs, still trying to figure out her approach. She hadn't talked to Tails in a very long time. She wanted the meeting to be perfect.

* * *

Zak stood at the top of the canyon, watching what was below him. Silver and Lara-su had stayed behind in order to make sure the portal wasn't opened. That was fine with his plans. The portal was not to be opened yet. The world wasn't ready. There were still pieces that hadn't come into play.

Until such a time came that the portal needed to be opened, he would disappear. Only when everything had happened according to his plan would he return for the Super Emerald. Then he would open the portal, and Mobius would have no choice but to stand together or be destroyed.


End file.
